Guatemala 1902 earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1902 Guatemala
earthquake
struck on April 18, 1902 at 20:23:50 hrs. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 Mw
and an epicenter depth of approximately 25 km. The quake had a duration of 1 to 2 minutes and had many foreshock
s and aftershocks. The area around Quetzaltenango
and Sololá
was particularly hard hit. Approximately 800 to 900 were killed, and nearly all churches in western Guatemala and eastern Chiapas
were heavily damaged or destroyed.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
struck on April 18, 1902 at 20:23:50 hrs. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 Mw
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
and an epicenter depth of approximately 25 km. The quake had a duration of 1 to 2 minutes and had many foreshock
Foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as foreshock, mainshock or aftershock is only possible after the event....
s and aftershocks. The area around Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
and Sololá
Sololá
Sololá is a city in Guatemala. It is the capital of the department of Sololá and the administrative seat of Sololá municipality.The name is a hispanicized form of its pre-Columbian name, one spelling variant of which is T'zolojy'a...
was particularly hard hit. Approximately 800 to 900 were killed, and nearly all churches in western Guatemala and eastern Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
were heavily damaged or destroyed.